Police to seek arrest warrants for 51 police entrance exam cheaters

Police will on Wednesday seek court’s warrants for the arrest of 51 mostly medical and engineering students suspected to be involved in the entrance examination cheating for enrollment into police academy for non-commissioned officers in metropolitan area.
The 51 suspects who were said to be the “cream” of university students face charge of being members of an illegal organization in accordance with Section 209 of the Criminal Code and charge of violating the Computer Crime Act.

Over 500 people were alleged to be involved in the cheating. They are divided into three groups: the cheat plotters; the “hired” examination candidates who sat the test and allowed their test papers to be copied by the real candidates and the candidates who paid the plotters to get test answers from the “hired” candidates.

A complaint has been lodged with Paholyothin police by Pol Col Uthen Nuipin, an examination supervisor, against a municipal policeman attached to the City Hall, Mr Jirapote Plaiduang, who allegedly schemed the cheat and hired medical and engineering students to sit the test in order to help the candidates in the written test.

It was reported that the gang charged candidates 500,000 baht per head for its fraudulent service to help them pass the examination.

The test was held on December 4 Ramkhamhaeng University’s Huamark campus and at Bang Na campus. Similar tests were held in upcountry provinces under the jurisdiction of the provincial police bureaux.

The cheat was detected by Col Uthen who became suspicious after 13 candidates scored poorly in the test despite the fact that they made the right answers in their drafts. It was discovered that the answers were written in big characters clearly visible by the other candidates sitting nearby who could copy the answers.

Cheating was confirmed at the two examination grounds at Ramkhamhaeng University. Whether cheating also took place at the other exam grounds in upcountry provinces is under investigation.

Out of 4,182 people who applied to set the exam staged by the 7th provincial police bureau, 3,746 actually sat for the exam. 500 passed the written exam while the academy will accept only 250 openings.

The other bureau where cheating was found was the metropolitan police bureau. Over 300 people were suspected to be involved in the exam cheat. They are divided into three groups: the plotters, hired candidates who sat the exam and allowed their answer to be copied by other candidates and candidates who paid to ensure they passed the written test.

Pol Gen Detnarong who was assigned to head the probe into the exam cheat said the panel would propose to the national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda, on January 16 a few options about how to resolve the problem – scrap the entire test or partially scrap the test.

He, however, said that the decision on this matter would be based on three principles: the investigation must be quickly completed; caution and fair to all parties concerned.

So far, there have not been report of cheating in entrance exam held by the other provincial police bureau.